Reread Challenge: Daughter of the Blood; Anne Bishop

For this month's Reread Challenge over at Nath's blog (link also on sidebar), I reread Anne Bishop's first book in the Black Jewels Trilogy. The copy I have is one of the original mass market versions published by Roc in 1998, this is the cover on the left. The cover on the right is the new one. There are now several versions (mm, qp, ebook, etc.) available, many listed on the author's website listed in the link embedded in the title above. DotB is dark fantasy. To see a list of this month's Reread Challenge participants click here. To read my original comments on this series, click here.

Ms. Bishop created a formidably complex world in this book, one that completely fascinated me. Parts of Daughter of the Blood were dark enough, torturous enough that I don't read them. I stopped reading certain characters' vignettes halfway through the first time I picked this book up. That hasn't changed. I reread this series every year and every year I just can't do it.

In this world, the Blood are a people gifted with magic. Individuals have gifts of varying degrees which are symbolized by colored jewels given during certain childhood rituals. The Blood are spread among several small connected countries and often live among nonmagical humans, called landens. Generally, the Blood believe that women are the symbolic vessel of power, thus Blood societies are of a matriarchal feudal type. Men serve in various capacities, some of which are usually thought of as typically female: contraception within committed relationships, protecting the woman from overextending herself (sometimes via magic) and similar.

Ok. So there are two young men, named Lucivar and Daemon, who are hugely gifted with power, who have been enslaved by morally corrupt ruling queens who are murdering their female rivals. They keep powerful males weak and submissive via pain and torture and outright murder since ordinarily a powerful male would kill off a ruling queen who is corrupt. These women are in a quest to dominate all of the countries around them. These two young men are friends of a sort, a bond forged in pain and suffering. A seven year old little girl visits each of them, under bizarre circumstances, in secret.

The little girl intrigues everyone she meets. It's rapidly apparent that she was gifted with more power than anyone ever. This, unfortunately, sets her apart- makes her an outlier to use Malcolm Gladwell's phrase. Jaenelle Angelline, even at her young age, has secrets- dark secrets that make the ones who love her most fearful for her very survival. Will Jaenelle survive to fulfill her destiny, whatever that might be?

Daughter of the Blood is the story of Jaenelle, Daemon, Lucivar and Saetan. It is an age old story in some ways: depravity, immorality to the point of being a sociopath, greed for power and influence. Corruption. Suffering. Finding one's purpose in life. Compassion. The story hops between various viewpoints, always furthering the plot one step at a time. However, it continues into book two, Heir to the Shadows. There is no resolution at the end of this book. I absolutely love this series & recommend it often. Ms. Bishop's newest release, The Shadow Queen, came out in March and is set in this world and is linked to The Invisible Ring.

Images found on Tower and Mobipocket.

The Invisible Ring; Anne Bishop

Published by ROC in in October 2000 and written by Anne Bishop, The Invisible Ring is set in the same universe as Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy and related books and short stories. After reading and digesting it I am reminded of an issue that came up when I started reading the Miles Vorkosigan (written by Lois McMaster Bujold) books. Namely, which order do you want to read them in? Published or chronological? Now the Vorkosigan saga is much longer, but the comparison is apt, I think. Despite being listed on various sites as the fourth book in the Black Jewels trilogy, The Invisible Ring is set before the trilogy begins. Chronological order works best for me, and now I wish I'd read this one before I read the trilogy.

Lord Jared has been sent to the biannual slave auction at Raej. Why? He's a Queen killer. Murdered the last Queen who wore his Controlling ring. So he's going to be sent to the salt mines in Pruul via the slave auctions. Except, Grizelle the Gray Queen buys him. And plans to take them to her Territory, Dena Nehele. Jared has heard nothing but rumors about Grizelle and Dena Nehele, and not a single positive thing.

Unfortunately, Dorothea SaDiablo is out to kill Grizelle and she's willing to use every weapon in her considerable arsenal to achieve this goal. A new master of the guard, spells specific to this task, and an endless wellspring of powerhungriness amorality and cruelty. Lucklily for Grizelle and her little band of slaves, Daemon Sadi saw Jared in the auction pen and decided to help out as much as he could.

Will Grizelle make it to Dena Nehele? Will Jared and the other males be able to protect everyone long enough to make it over the border? Will the reader's heart survive Dorothea's agonizing activities? Is the invisible ring real or not? Is Garth what Jared thinks he is? Will Jared make it to Shalador or Dena Nehele? Neither? And who is the Rogue sapphire warlord? For, like in all good books, all is not what it seems.

Anyhow, I think any new Anne Bishop reader would do well to read The Invisible Ring before reading the Black Jewels trilogy or any of the related pieces. Ms. Bishop fleshes out the role of pleasure slaves, details what the Blood is supposed to be and gives a reader an inkling of the true price of Dorothea's schemes would be if she succeeds. Not to mention making Daemon much more mysterious, thereby priming the reader for the trilogy. Excellent book. Buy all four at the same time and read this one first. BTW, this is being reissued month after next in June in trade paperback size with a new sexy cover. Click here to see Amamzon's page.